Concern raised by inspectorate over Warwickshire fire service’s safety is closed

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service has taken ‘significant steps’ to address a cause of concern raised by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) during the service’s last inspection.

The cause of concern, which has now been closed, was identified during an inspection of Warwickshire fire service between March and April 2023. It related to the way in which the service determined its highest-risk premises to inform its risk-based inspection programme.

Following the inspection, Warwickshire fire service was advised to review its action plan and submit how it would address the cause of concern against the inspectorate’s recommendations.

A subsequent inspection carried out on 3-5 February 2025 — which involved interviews with managers and staff with responsibility for fire safety — found that Warwickshire fire service had made good progress and now has a protection strategy in place, which includes:

• fire safety audits for complex or high-risk premises;
• a targeted approach for less complex premises supported by level three fire safety officers; and
• universal fire safety advice and guidance for low-risk premises.

In addition, Warwickshire fire service completed 265 fire safety audits in 2022/23 — 292 more than it did in the previous year. The service has also committed to completing 1,500 audits at high-risk premises over a three-year period and, according to the inspectorate, is currently ahead of this target.

In a letter to Warwickshire CFO Ben Brooks, Lee Freeman KPM, HM Inspector of Constabulary and HM Inspector of Fire & Rescue, noted: ‘The result of this work is that the service now has clear direction for its protection activity and a resourced risk-based inspection programme, which targets the highest-risk premises.’

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